LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Calendar

	MUSIC AND CONCERTS
	The Fantasticks, music by Harvey Schmidt with lyrics and book by Tom Jones, runs Jan 23- Feb 15 on the Main Stage (P.A.C.) at Diablo Valley College. Friday and Saturday Nights @ 8pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:30pm. Special senior, student and group pricing is available. Tickets can be purchased by calling (925) 687-4445, or emailing our Box Office at MFulk@dvc.edu. DVC, 321 Golf Club Road in Pleasant Hill. ____________________________ Young People’s Symphony Orchestra Winter 2009 Concerto Concert Music Director David Ramadanoff celebrates his 20th season as Music Director/Conductor. Program will include Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphoses as well as Concertos by Bartók, Weber, and Lalo performed by Dylan Mattingly (age 17), Annie Sandholtz ( 17), Violin, Madison Greenstone (16), Clarinet . Feb 7, 8:00 pm and Feb 8, 2:00 pm, Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Lane, Moraga. Tickets: FREE on Sunday. Saturday: $15 general; $12 seniors and students. For more information, call 510-849-YPSO, via email at ypsomusic@yahoo.com, or go to www.ypsomusic.net. ____________________________ Lafayette Town Hall Theatre presents “Rabbit Hole,” the bittersweet 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. In the story, Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. Rabbit Hole charts their search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day February 5 – March 7. Contact the Town Hall Theatre Company Box Office for exact dates and times. For Tickets: 925-283-1557. Rating – PG-13. Town Hall Theatre Company, 3535 School Street at Moraga Road in Lafayette. ____________________________ Contra Costa County 4-H Drama production presents “Winnie the Pooh” at the Dean Lesher Center for the Performing Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday, Feb 14 at 2:15pm and 7:45pm and Sunday, Feb 15 at 2:15pm.



	ART
	Bert Monroy, Master Artist Tribute VIII: A Digital Artist Paints With Light through April 5. The Hearst Art Gallery of Saint Mary’s College is pleased to present a major survey of the preeminent digital master Bert Monroy, a world-renowned Photoshop artist and teacher, known for pioneering and innovative digital painting technique. The exhibition opens Saturday, Jan. 17, and continues through Sunday, Apr. 5, 2009. Public Hours: Wed - Sun, 11 am - 4:30pm Admission: $3; children 12 and under free; Gallery members free. 925.631.4379. www.hearstartgallery.org ____________________________ Drawing and Paintings of adult students of instructor Dorothy Cutright Davis at the Moraga Library through Sat. Jan 31st. The exhibit is a chance to see the variety of work from very classic drawings to more interpretive, small and large, some of which will be for sale. Moraga Library, 500 St. Mary's Rd Moraga (925) 376-685 ____________________________ The Moraga Art Gallery presents “The Northern Lights” in Moraga through March 14th. The show will highlight artworks by local artists Vivien Hart and Nina Tyksinski. Vivien, who lives in Orinda, creates artful cabinetry knobs and pulls from fused glass, “functional art on a glass canvas.” Lafayette writer-turned-painter Nina Tyksinski’s recent paintings seek to capture the phenomenon of the northern lights using watercolor while placing them in local surroundings, including the Chapel at Saint Mary’s and Mount Diablo. The Moraga Art Gallery is a co-operative gallery of 20 artists in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, 570 Center Street in Moraga (MoragaArtGallery.com).Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12-5 pm, 925.376.5407. ____________________________ "Objects of Affection," the new show at the Lafayette Gallery, 50 Lafayette Circle, runs through March 7th, 2009. A festive public reception will be held on Feb 6, 2009, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The show coincides with Valentine’s Day celebrations. The viewer is treated to multiple canvases offering a fine art gift for your object of affection. For this special show, gallery artists create 12"x12" canvases with their personal interpretation of affection in all its many guises. Gallery Hours: 11 – 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday, 50 Lafayette Circle, 925-284-2788. ____________________________ Illuminated Sculpture runs through February 22 at the Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. The exhibit will showcase sculptures using a variety of forms of illumination including gases, incandescent light and emerging mediums like laser, plasma, fiber optics and light-emitting diodes (LED). Captured inert gases (e.g. neon, argon, helium) can yield a wide range of colors from vivid purple to sky blue to intense yellow. Opening Reception: Sunday, Jan 11, 3:00-5:00 pm. Meet this innovative group of light artists, enjoy wine and hors d'ouevres. Free for LCA members, Friends of the Bedford. General admission $5. ____________________________ The Martinez Gallery will be showing recent works by artists of the Martinez Arts Association from January 21 through March 20. Paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, and fabric work by local artists are on display at the mARTinez GALLERY in the historic Sharkey Building at 630 Court Street in downtown Martinez. The Art Connection, well known for their watercolor and mixed media installations of abstracted landscapes and experimental artwork on paper and canvas is showing their new work at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in San Ramon. Marianne Brown, a local painter and teacher in Moraga, as well as Pat Dews, international workshop instructor and author, has influenced the group. Four award-winning California artists make up The Art Connection: Angela Cheng, Ann Marie King Hauser, Pamela Howett and Mary Claire Stotler. Community Center, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. San Ramon, CA. The reception is Sunday, Feb.8, 3:00 to 5:00PM.




	CRAB FEEDS
	Crab Feed & Dance – Saturday, Feb 7, 6:00 – 11:00 PM. Bring your appetites & dancing shoes. Music provided by popular DJ. Dinner & dance $35; dance only $10. For info and reservations call (925) 672-6799. Holy Trinity Cultural Center, 1700 School Street, Moraga. 9th Annual Kiwanis Club of Moraga Valley Crab Feed on Saturday, Feb 14th. Holy Trinity Cultural Center, 1700 School Street, Moraga, 6:00pm: No Host Cocktails. 7:00PM – Dinner – Music – Dancing --Silent Auction: Merchandise, Services & Attractions, Crab Pot – Go home with a lot of cash! Tickets $45.00 per person. $10 corkage fee . Proceeds benefit local charities For tickets see any member of Moraga Valley Kiwanis, or Call Paul Ratto 925 899-9536. ____________________________ Soroptimist International Crab Feed and Silent Auction ---6:00pm on Saturday, February 7 at Oakwood Athletic Club-Lower Court 4000 Mt. Diablo Blvd in. Lafayette. Dinner to include crab, pasta, salad, bread, ice cream and coffee. Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for sale. Proceeds to benefit Soroptimist International of 24-680, a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. $35.00 per person. Reservations needed. No ticket sales at the door. 925-688-1480, http://www.soroptimist24-680.org.
	LECTURES
	Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 pm, Lafayette resident Laura Shumaker, introduces us to her son Matthew in A Regular Guy: Growing Up with Autism, a beautiful memoir about the struggles, the triumphs and the unconditional love behind learning to live with an autistic child. Light refreshments served. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lafayette Library. For more information, please call 925.283.3872 or visit ccclib.org. Lafayette Library, 952 Moraga Road, 925-283-3872. ____________________________ Book Signings at Orinda Books: Saturday, January 31 at 1pm, Inez Hollander will discuss and sign copies of her memoir, Silenced Voices: Uncovering a Family’s Colonial History in Indonesia. Saturday, February 21 at 3pm, Yiyun Li will discuss and sign copies of her new novel, The Vagrants. Orinda Books, 276 Village Square, Orinda. 925-254-7606, www.orindabooks.com. ____________________________ Saint Mary’s Kalmanovitz School of Education resumes its Distinguished Speaker Series on January 24, from 8:30 am - 1:00pm. National Teacher of the Year, Michael Geisen, will be the featured speaker. For further information, contact Lydia Wiley at lwiley@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-8124. ____________________________ California Institute for Biodiversity (CIB) offers speaker series: On Thursday, February 5th from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Moraga Library, CIB will present "Finding Connections in Nature--The Sierra Nevada and the State of California" with presenter John Muir ("Jack") Laws. For six years, Jack Laws backpacked the Sierra Nevada to research and illustrate The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Come learn why the state of the Sierra Nevada is important to ALL Californians, especially in this time of changing climate! Moraga Library, 1660 School St, 631-2481. For more info about CIB: www.calalive.org ____________________________ The Commonwealth Club presents… Tom Campbell: Budgeting the Bailout for California and the Country” on Wednesday, February 11th at the Bentley School in Lafayette. The economic crisis leaves many people wondering if the United States and, specifically, California, will be poised to lead the world in the 21st century. What kinds of opportunities arise out of dire economic times? Will California be the place to do business in the 21st century? What needs to be done to ensure its success? Campbell breaks down the economic imperatives of the state and nation. The Bentley School, Lafayette (1000 Upper Happy Valley Road, Lafayette) Time: 6 pm check-in, 6:30 pm program Cost: $12 members, $18 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Reservations: visit www.commonwealthhclub.org or call 415 597 6705. ____________________________ Holistic Self-Care for the Family Caregiver: A Lecture and Practice Workshop. This event will introduce holistic self-care philosophy and interactive modalities for family members in a caregiving role as a means of gaining and sustaining mind-body-spirit wellbeing. Sunday, February 15th , 12:30pm till 4:00pm. Concord Senior Center. $20 if registering before January 15 or $25 if after January 15, 2009 deadline Cost includes lecture, two workshops and a healthy buffet. To Register On-Line: www.ccjcc.org/millman and click on special events, or contact the Millman Respite Center at 925.938.7800 ext. 257 for more information. ____________________________ Creative Writing Reading Series at St. Mary’s College - Dana Johnson- Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 7:30 pm at the Soda Activity Center. A native of Los Angeles, Dana Johnson worked as a magazine editor before completing her M.F.A. at Indiana University. She is now an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, where she teaches creative writing and literature. She is the author of the short story collection Break Any Woman Down, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction in 2001. Her latest book, co-written by Allison Umminger under the pen name Grace Grant, is Eye to Eye. ____________________________ Dr. Mark Zier, noted bible scholar, will present the Lenten study at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Orinda, Wednesday evenings, February 25-April 8. Soup supper starting at 6:30 pm; program at 7:15. Dr. Zier has presented papers on the Glossa Ordinaria, standard commentary on the Bible from the 12th to the 17th centuries, at seminars in Paris and Lyon, France; in Florence and Todi, Italy; and in San Francisco and Kalamazoo, in the United States.
	KIDS
	Keeping Up with our Kids - Parenting the Net Generation. Join Jason Brand, who specializes in helping families build positive relationships with technology for an informative evening. The event will be held at the library of Joaquin Moraga Middle School on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 7:00-8:30pm. This event is free. ____________________________ Beading Workshop; Beginning beading workshop for ages 12 and up. Limited attendance. Register at Moraga Library or at 376-6852. Thursday, Jan 22, 3:00 pm ____________________________ SAT Practice Test. Presented by KAPLAN Test Prep. SAT includes essay and three math sections. Saturday, Jan 31, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Moraga Library, 500 St. Mary's Rd Moraga (925) 376-685. ____________________________ Acalanes Parent Ed Presents: Drive Smart, Stay Safe. The California Highway Patrol offers this free class at Acalanes on Tuesday, February 24th, 6:00-8:00 pm, Cafeteria. This program, sponsored by the CHP, is for parents and teens to attend together. It is designed to reduce the number of teenage injuries and deaths resulting from motor vehicle collisions. Space is limited, to register for the class, please sign up at: http://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/adulted/html/pehighschool.htm Class # 056214. Or email: LGSENDME@SBCGLOBAL.NET ____________________________ Healthy Bodies, Healthy Mind in High School, College, and Beyond: Helping Your Teen Thrive With Positive Self Image, Tuesday, March 3rd, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Acalanes Theatre, no fee. Topics Include: Parent Influence Weight as a Cultural Obsession, Sexuality/Social Life---How self image affects decisions, eating and exercise. What happens when they leave home? Sponsored by Acalanes Parent Ed, for more information email lgsendme@sbcglobal.net. ____________________________ PTA Parenting Book Club Current Selections -Available at the Lafayette Book Store, on line, or Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School parents may also check them out from the parenting section of the school library! Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives, by John Palfrey & Urs Gasser. “Energetic, expert, and forward-looking, the authors serve as envoys between the generations.” Washington Post. Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myth of Boyhood, by William Pollack. The author of this book will be speaking at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek on Thursday, February 5th from 6:45 PM - 8:30 Real Boys unmasks the hidden sadness and loneliness experienced by so many of our sons, including those who are doing “just fine.” All teachers and parents of boys will benefit from reading this thought-provoking work from a respected expert in the field. ____________________________ Children’s Events at the Moraga Library-500 St. Mary's Rd. 376-685 Storytime: Stories and crafts for children three to seven. Tuesdays through March 17, 4:00—4:30 pm Lapsit: Stories, songs and bounces for baby and caregiver. Wednesdays through March 18, 10:00—10:20 am Toddlertime: Stories, rhymes and fun. Ages 2 to 3-1/2 with adult participation. Wednesdays through March 18, 10:45—11:15 am "Reading Circus with 'Boswick' the Clown" Former Ringling Brothers, & Barnum & Baily clown presents an interactive show for all ages. Saturday Jan 31, 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
	LUNAR NEW YEAR EVENTS
	Ring in the Year of the Ox- Chinese New Year Celebration at the Cabot Space and Science Center. Saturday, January 24 (11am- 4pm). Crafts and traditional Chinese New Year activities for kids. Activities are FREE with General Admission. Box Office (510) 336-7373, Online tickets www.chabotspace.org . ____________________________ On Sunday, January 25 at 4 pm, the Eng Family and the Orinda Library present a special event to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The ABADA´- Capoeira Performance Troupe of San Francisco performs a unique Afro-Brazilian melding of martial art, dance and music. This program is free and it is appropriate for families, although children under six might find it long. It takes place in the auditorium of the Orinda Library, which is at 26 Orinda Way. Space is limited so tickets will be handed out one hour before the program begins. Seating is first-come, first-served. ____________________________ Kids into Speaking Mandarin, a new language instruction studio in Lafayette, is having an open house to celebrate the Chinese new year! Come celebrate the Year of the Ox with music, story-telling, games, and refreshments. Monday, January 26th, 3:00 - 5:00pm, 3400 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 11, Lafayette. (925) 962-9800.
	OTHER
	Contra Costa Midrasha announces a benefit for its program for Jewish teens. The event takes place at Congregation B'nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek at 25 Hillcroft Way, and features a talk with John Rothmann, speeches from its students and a gourmet appetizer and dessert reception. Tickets for the February 22, 2009 event are $36 for seniors and students, and $45 for adults. Tickets are available online and by phone. www.ccmidrasha.org or 925/944-4701. ____________________________ Big Band Ball Room Dance, Friday, January 23 at the Art Deco Rheem Theatre in Moraga, 350 Rheem Blvd. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the dance runs from 7:00pm through 10:00pm. Students from Acalanes High, Campolindo High and Stanley will be featured with the Rossmoor Big Band and students are encouraged to attend the dance. Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased at the Rheem Theatre, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce or the Orinda Chamber of Commerce. Purchase your tickets in advance, as this event has sold out in the past. Space is limited. Call 925-284-7404 or visit www.lafayettechamber.org for information. See article on front page. ____________________________ BOOKSALE - Friends of the Orinda Library monthly booksale will be Thursday, Feb. 5, 10 am - 1 pm in the Bookshop and the Sorting Room of the Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda. The sale includes bargains in just-like-new books and collector's books for adults and a big selection of books for children from toddlers to teenagers. (Bookshop will remain open until 6 pm) 254-1358. Salsa Dance classes in Orinda! Classes start this week. NO PARTNER REQUIRED, and no experience necessary! Get a FREE class coupon at: www.SalsawithTomaj.com. Drop-in, or take a serie. Mondays, 7:00-8:00 Beginners, 8:00-9:00 Intermediates. Orinda Community Center, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda. To register, or for more information, call 925-254-3459 or 925-254-2445. ____________________________ Orinda “Heart of the Home” Kitchen Tour is scheduled Wednesday, February 11, from 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Tour six beautiful, remodeled kitchens and enjoy some Valentine cheer. Raffle prizes to make the heart swoon, too! An arrangement by Ron Morgan of Loot, cooking classes, paintings by Allison McCrady, a night of Puccini from an opera singer to grace your party are among the offerings. Buy tickets through Miramonte’s Web Store or from several outlets: Orinda Books, Lazy K, McDonnell Nursery, Entourage and Allison McCrady Gallery. Tour Hotline: 925 235-7232. ____________________________ A Real Estate Seminar will be presented by Loretta Barra and Ed Tracey who are both Realtors with Coldwell Banker in Orinda, on Tuesday, Feb. 10th at 6:30pm at the Veterans Memorial Building at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. Information will be shared about today’s market and a lender will also be on hand to help sort out some of the ins and outs of buying and selling in today’s market. A light dinner will be served. Please call for a reservation as seating is limited (925)253-4642 or Email Homes@LorettaBarra.com
	CLUB MEETINGS
	____________________________ The Moraga Women's Society will meet on Monday, January 26 at 9:30 am at the Holy Trinity Cultural Center, 1700 School Street in Moraga. SUN columnist, Harriet Ainsworth will be speaking about her experiences as a Wave. Visitors are always welcome. Contact President, Roberta Klaproth, 376-0708. ____________________________ The Auxiliary for the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County will hold its 5th annual It Shouldn’t Hurt to be a Child Benefit Luncheon at Round Hill Country Club in Alamo on Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 10:30am until 2:00pm. Tickets for the luncheon are $65 per person with all proceeds from the auction and raffle going directly to the Child Abuse Prevention Council and their programs such as Newborn Connections and the Baby Bag Project. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Carol Carillo, at 925-798-0546. To learn more about joining the Auxiliary visit their website at www.capc-coco.org. ____________________________ Montelindo Garden Club Meeting and Speaker, Friday, February 20,Orinda Community Church, #10 Irwin Way, Orinda. Meeting at 9:30, Speaker at 10:30. Danville resident, Kirsten Yanker-Hansen, a well-known Bay Area landscape designer, will speak about winter gardens. The meeting is free and welcomes guests. www.montelindogarden.com email: montelindogarden@aol.com ____________________________ Mt. Diablo Business Women Networking Dinner, 5:45 – 8:30 PM; February 12, 2009. Lafayette Park Hotel, 3287 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette; $37 member, $44 guest, register early, please no walk-ins. Dr. Mundeir of Surat Naturopathic will enlighten the meeting attendees with information on using natural methods to help alleviate symptoms associated with PMS and Menopause. Please join this dynamic group of women for a great evening! Tickets are $37 for members and $44 for guests. For info contact: www.mtdiablobusinesswomen.org. ____________________________ The Orinda Woman’s Club is currently welcoming applications for major beneficiaries of the funds of next year’s Festival of Trees Event held in November each year. Applicants must conform to specific guidelines and the organization must benefit families, women and/or children demonstrate that the funds go directly to hands- on care. For details and to obtain an application form, please contact Adeline McClatchie, 925-254-1162, adeline@mcclatchie.com. ____________________________ Widdowed Person’s Support Group On Monday, January 26 at 7:00 pm, share a social time – meet some new folks to get better acquainted, and enjoy an entertaining program on the subject of Happiness. This will be in the Lafayette/ Orinda Presbyterian Church on Knox Drive, in Lafayette. Reservations are not required. For information regarding these events, directions, and reservation for the luncheon please call (925)932-3448. ____________________________ Widowed Persons Support will be offering a series of GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS. Saturdays from 10 am to Noon, January 24, 31, February 7 and 14 and will be held in St. Stephen’s Church, 66 St. Stephens Drive, Orinda. These meetings are led by trained Facilitators. There is no charge and no need to make a reservation, just walk in. For information call: 510-932-3448. ____________________________ The Peripheral Neuropathy Group will meet on Friday, January 23 from 10 AM to 11:30 AM in the Las Trampas Room at Hillside Club House. This will be a get acquainted and sharing of experiences time. Peripheral Neuropathy is a little known ailment and there has been no cure found. It has been found that people can help each other by sharing their experiences with Peripheral Neuropathy. There is no cost. For questions of any kind please contact Nancy Ostrander at 930-9524 or Carolyn Cash at 254-8195. ____________________________ The Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County will hold its monthly meeting in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center-Walnut Creek Campus, 1601 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek on Monday, February 9 from 7-9 pm. Kyle Sullivan, CO, will discuss WalkAide, an adaptive electrical stimulation device for drop foot. After his talk, attendees will break up into three coping groups: stroke survivors without aphasia, stroke survivors with aphasia, and caregivers of stroke survivors, each group led by a trained professional. For more information, contact Ann Dzuna at 925-376-6218. Meetings are free and open to the public. ____________________________ Women's Business Connection of Lamorinda is a dynamic leads group that inspires their members to grow their businesses through networking, referrals and education. For more info call: 925- 210-9296 or www.wbclamorinda.com . The Moraga Lions Club, a member of Lions International (the largest community service club, located in over 178 countries). seeks volunteers to participate and assist the blind and do local community service. Call the Moraga Lions Club 376-2538. ____________________________ Diablo Star Chapter #214, Order of the Eastern Star. Eastern Star is a social order comprised of both women and men. The stated purposes of the organization are: Charitable, Educational, and Fraternal. For membership information please contact Karen Seaborn at (925) 689-0995. ____________________________ Job’s Daughter’s International – Bethel No. 218 Orinda This organization is for young ladies (min 10rys old). The girls develop confidence, good character, life-long friendships, moral and spiritual values, and leadership abilities. Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Orinda Masonic Center located at 9 Altarinda Rd, Orinda. Contact Nicki Wandesforde, Bethel Guardian at (925) 283-7176 or email nickichef@comcast.net.